Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-10-28
S. n. BOyiMAh'S ACCEPT ACE.
To the Vot ers Of Shenandoah County 4:


cans. ID cid in New Market, on Sat
urday last-the 18th inst was
nomu lated as a candidate Tor cleo.
ton TO the House of Delegates
New or WAS an honor, however small,
cor ferred with greater surprise to
q recipient. | WAS "A delegate To
u re Convention, and was there only
I o vote for others, as expression
should develop the prevailing pref
erence for candidates. No sugges-
ton of my nomination, or The pos.
sibilily of il, had been made to me,
aud | am quite sure it was as much
a surprise to the convention as il
was to me when | was declared the
nOmi0ee.
But | find myself chosen can.
didate, and must accept the honor
or decline it. Several days of con.
ference with gentlemen throughout
the county have constrained me
to DO the former; and realizing, as
| do, my own inexperience IN MAJ.
tess OF legislation, il is due to those
whose representative | may be to
set forth briefly he views / enter.
tain as an humble citizen hitherto
without aspiration or ambition for
office. If it may not be consider
ed irreverent, | could wish that
this cup had passed from me.
AT the inception of reimbursement
] esp0used the cause Of the read.
justers. gave the best support /
could to the readjusters, and followed
the fortunes of that party from 1879
10 this day, believing that Virginia
had no hope short of the final tri.
umph OF that party organization
i have sustained the RiddIeberger
bill as an equitable settlement of
our state debt, and there is but one
consideration that would move me
from my position IN relation to that
measure now. We have recently
seen judicial usurpatlons which
would entirely oblterate geograph
ical lines and make the Atlas of The
school the playtbiDg of a Bo1d.-
Rather than see this change in oar
iDstitotions, | would cheerlullv sup.
port any practicable measure for
absolvlng ourselves fion the pay.
ment of The whole debt. If the
autonomy of the state be DESTROYED
by judicial UsurpatiOn there is no
more left out which to make a debt
than there is in the corpse upon
which yOu would levy an execu-
tion, or in whose name you would
issue tax receivable scrip. A sense
OF justice, | have always though,
would suggest to the Federal gov.
eminent the payment of our entire
debt.
10 is not necessary 20 say more to
make my position on the main ques.
tlon-Ihat Ofthe debt-understood.
| am, as | have heretofore been.
an earnest advocate of free and gen.
e'al education and wOuld not hest.
tate to cast my vote on the side of
the free schools of our state and
county.
| believe we should have better
roads for the labor bestowed upon
them, or that We sjOnld have less
labor for the Dads as we have them.
Either better roads for the labor, or
less labor for the roads.
| believe in liberal appropriations
tor our Deaf, Dumb and Blind In.
stitute and our Lunatic Asylums.-
Jails were not made for the afiiict-
ed, but for criminals.
10 national politics am a Repub-
lican. ! believe the principles of
the Republican party will promote
tne best interests of our people:
and though state Legislators can
have no direct vote on questions of
purely national concern. vet they
nave voice rs representatives
which national legislators can not
turn a deafear 10.
WitOout prejudice, I should give
the reliable lawyer all the legisla-
tiou which he should deem neces-
sary from time to time to complete
our code OF laws. Nevertheless, |
mist confess that my life has been
rather that Of a farmer, and with
that interest | am better prepared
to deal and to le9islate for.
There are various other subjects
of local importance which | might
mention, but to express my hum
BILE views on them all would OK
tend this paper beyond reasonable
limits.
| hope it is unnecessary to say
that | am always in favor of the
purest and most economic admins
tration OF our state affairs consist
ent with the views before stated,
and also continuance of the state
allowance to manned Confederate
soldiers.
Thanking the convention and
asking the public to consider what
is presented in this letter of ac-
| am
Respectfully,
SAMUEL II. BOWMAN.